Caviar, a delicacy made from the roe of sturgeons, has been popular as an appetizer and food staple for many centuries. Its consumption has been limited to the nobility and the wealthy because of its very high cost.
Host of the world's supply of sturgeon comes from rivers near the Caspian Sea. In the past the Soviet Union had established a state-owned monopoly and had been stocking the waterways. With the collapse of the Soviet Union sturgeon fishing has been opened to other countries who are using less-than-conservative fishing techniques to seize their share of the world market. This has resulted in a growing threat to the sturgeon as well as a further increase in prices.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a synthetic caviar which is similar in taste to the genuine product. The present invention will permit a wider enjoyment of caviar-like products and may also encourage more conservative fishing practices by causing prices to fall and may have the end result of preserving the sturgeon species.